The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-02-11
A Sunday in Charleston.

ings.
1t maybe pleasant to ride all night
on.the cars through this Southern coun-
try, through the pine woods, with
rumble and rattle over bridges that
may be safe and sound, but if they
are, make a terrible creaking and
groaning as we pass by; through .he
thick, limitless swamps, on miles and
miles Of tresiles that may or may not
be ready to sink into the mud with our
increased weight added to that of the
train--all this may be pleasant, but |
don't think 80, and l know it isn't the
greatest delight in the world to be
routed out of middlipg sound sleep
that one has succeeded in getting into,
in spite of above mentioned hindrances,
at four o'clock in the morning by the
porter poking one in the ribs and say
ing "Charleston, sah.'
We are driven in terrible hurry to
our hotel, where we awaken the Sleep
ing nightclerk, who sends us a million
steps 10 bed and we know nothing till
this morning.
This is Sunday. We are to spend
Sunday here among the ruins. Evi-
IDENTIFY these earthquakes here we're the
work of the devil, for the devastation
seems to have been most seriously visit
ed upon the churches. Our devotional
exercises for the morning consists in
making visits to these churches, with
their steeples tumbled down, roofs
broken in, and windows broken out,
the affairs broken and the worshipers
gathered in lower buildings else where.
We fully expected that our visit
would be heralded to the town by a
iair-sized quake, for they are to be
had almost upon demand. By some
mismanagement the quake anticipated
us by about ten hours, which one we
will call ours, if we do not have another
before tomorrow morning when we
leave for Florida.
My friend says | am wrong in attri-
buting the quakes to his Satanic ma
jesty, for no more harm was done to
the churches than to the jail, but /
lay him on the table by assuring him
that ''the devil takes care of his own,'
and while the churches were kicking
up racket the same cause ratified the
Jail doors opel, and general jail de-
livery followed.
"Were there many hurt or killed 2"
we asked an old darkey who told us
how the prisoners of the Jail Chamber
ed over the wall, murders, thieves and
all, and escaped; surely an ill wind it
must be that blows no good to some
one.
'Any hurt 2" asked he. "Lawd bless
yo', yes. Why, de little shop / he'd
rented down hea, the roof war shocked
in, an my ole wife and child war kill
ed, an dey had to dig me outen' it
Said another man. "The scene and
disorder Of it were most wonderful.
My wife was shaken out of bed, and it
was with difficulty that l kept from
following her. The house was rocking
up on one side and down the other.
Ornaments on mantel on one side
the room were throw clear across the
room. We ran into the street-every
body was In the streets. Houses were
cracking and dropping part here, part
there; chimneys were falling in every
direction. The air was so full of dust
and smoke that it was all a thick dark
ness. Fire broke out and blazed up
all over the city The whole popula-
ton of the city lifted up its voice in
weeping an1 wailing, refusing to be
comforted- indeed there was no
one to offer comfort. Many thought
it was the last day, and acted accord
ingly, making the world hideous with
their lamentations. The negroes were
on their faces in the dust, others on
their knees praying, their terror add
ing intensely to the supplications.
Dogs howled, chickens squawked,
mules brayed, hogs squealed, and the
goats ceased to eat tin cans. Oh, it
was awful shall never forget it !
There is not a sound brick house in
the city, and not over one hundred
chimneys that did not have to be re-
paired. Bricklayers had harvest
four, five and six dollars day. The
price for topping chimney was thirty
dollars"
In our walk around the city we saw
hundreds of houses cracked from roof
TO foundation. But they are busy re-
pairing the damages, and props are be
ing taken down and the rubbage re-
moved.
IN SHIRT SLEEVES WITH OPEN WINDOW.
This is beautiful day; l am writ
ing in my shirt sleeves with my win
dow open. | see goat trying to
climb high board fence, and i've hun
dred darkey women, each with baby,
lolling in the sunshine. see .hous-
and white and black children playing,
and here four thousand more. I'll bet
a dollar that the earthquake didn't kill
dog, for they are all here yet. An
old woman over the way is driving a
good trade in her fruit and cake store,
and the street cars are hauling loads of
people to the beautiful cemetery they
call Magnolia. We were there to-day
before dinner.
This city of Charleston is by no
means pretty city-not half so pretty
as Savannsh-but Charleston's city of
the dead is the prettiest spot l have
ever seen. / would say it encloses
twenty acres. There are two lakes in
the centre, fed by the salt tide from the
ocean, and crossed by rustic bridges.
The rose bushes are almost budding,
their leaves are green, and fine trees
of holly show their red berries in
wealth of green leaves Neatly trim
med hedges border the lots and
form bowers at the entrance
There are evergreen trees of
every variety, and bushes of some kind
that are already filing with magnif-
cent blooms of red Everywhere are
live oaks and magnolias with their
festoons of Spanish moss.
have seen number of fine live
oaks, but in this cemetery is one that
surpasses any have ever seen. 1t
stanns isolated from the others, and has
had a great deal of careful attention
and jndicious and artistic work in its
surroundings to show it at its best
1t is evidently of great age, and with
its long, friendly branches, from
Whiah tho tnOca bapno opI ,.rnuaa -